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Mini caught our attention earlier this week by challenging Porsche to place a 385-horsepower 911 in a race against its own 172-horsepower Cooper S hatchback. Although the challenge could have been rather amusing, it seems the house that Ferdinand built has politely dismissed the invitation.
Detlev Von Platen, Porsche’s North American CEO, put Mini CEO Jim McDowell down softly this afternoon, sending him the following message and reiterating that Porsche has already proven itself in the motorsports arena.
Dear Jim,
Imagine our surprise to discover our former employee, now the head of Mini, has challenged us to a head-to-head race. As you surely know, Porsche has a long history of racing success, with more than 28,000 wins over the last 60 years. In our early days, we pitted ourselves against the giants, so we’ve been in your shoes.
But as you also know, Porsche doesn’t race for fame, stunts or publicity. We race to challenge ourselves; we race to push sports car technology; we race to translate every win on the track to our cars on the road. If you need a reminder of our intent, please take a look at this short video.
While your challenge seems like a fun and lighthearted campaign, we’ll stick to racing the way we have over the decades. We welcome you at Sebring, Le Mans, Daytona or any other sanctioned race where there is more at stake than T-shirts and valet parking spaces. We also invite you to any of the thousands of tracks around the world where Porsche owners compete each weekend.
Good luck with your race at Road Atlanta on June 21; we hope you enjoy the day.
Sincerely,
Detlev Von Platen
President and CEO, Porsche Cars North America
Now begs the question — what’s Mini going to do with the track time? According to a Mini spokesperson, the firm is still planning on holding an event at Road Atlanta on the 21st, although managers and marketing folks alike are currently scheming up new plans.
Who’d you like to see Mini challenge in Atlanta? Should the cheeky compact car go head-to-head with a wild exotic like Porsche, or should the company use the time to stage its own hot-hatch challenge? Would you love to see a Mini road race, rally, or autocross? Send your thoughts via the comments section below.
Maybe they should challenge Honda’s CR-Z. Of course, Honda would be foolish to accept as it really would be no contest as the CR-Z is hopelessly outclassed in both power and handling. Maybe Toyota should consider challenging Honda’s Cr-Z with its new Sienna with the sport package (hey, given the CR-Z’s lackluster performance–the Sienna may actually win).
I think it would have been awesome to see Mini go head-to-head with Porsche. It’s a playful little idea from a playful little company. It fit right in with the brand in my opinion. Apparently Germans are too serious to play though.